Christopher Storer (PhD)

Polymer Sensors for Remote Nutrient Detection in Agriculture, University of Manchester

Biography

Chris Storer completed his undergraduate in Biomaterials Engineering from the University of Manchester. Since his interest lies in Biomimetic Materials, he has undertaken a PhD in Polymer Sensors for Remote Nutrient Detection in Agriculture. Besides studies he has also participated in several co-curricular activities some of which are teaching assistant work, halls of residence tutoring, sports, conferences/poster presentation and was also a finalist in the Three Minutes Thesis.

Research

There are three essential macronutrients that are required to grow strong healthy crops and these are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). Thus, to keep the soil enriched in these nutrients, farmers add fertilizer and growth mediums. However, if the fertilizers are added in excess the soil and the nearby water supplies are contaminated and if insufficient amount is added the crop yield is poor.

So far the only solution to detect the right amount of nutrient concentration is to send the soil samples to lab. However, this process is time consuming and is expensive. To address this problem sensors are being built that can detect the nutrient concentration in real time. These sensors are called e-Nose and are made from a series of plastics that mimic the receptors in nose. A hydroponics company called Saturn Bioponics based near Birmingham is an Industrial Partner and formed the testing area.